Language
When the President of the United States in Donald Trump, and there is an old English word ‘trumpery’ – clearly…
Language
The recent severe weather events on the east coast were labelled (by our official Weather Bureau) as a ‘bomb cyclone’…
Language
Social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term ‘groupthink’ in 1971. So, let’s see if I can break that down, and…
Language
Is ‘de-escalate’ in the running to be the Word of the Year for 2025? Or (as seems more likely) the…
Language
A short time ago I was chatting with the former deputy prime minister of Australia John Anderson about the sort…
Language
Is ‘de-escalate’ in the running to be the Word of the Year for 2025? Or (as seems more likely) the…
Language
When a letter to the editor called a political talking head a ‘dingbat’ I searched for the origin of the…
Language
Speccie reader (Joshua) asks about the expression ‘unrealised capital gains’ and in particular that worrying adjective. Well, ‘unrealised’ has been…
Language
Calling all lovers of our language – the semicolon is at risk of becoming extinct! Forget about the bilby or…
Language
Speccie reader Alan writes to say he was having a conversation about Liberal party factions, and (strangely enough!) two expressions…
Language
I have wanted to write a column on ‘common sense’ for a long time – but it is a surprisingly…
Language
Joe Hildebrand excitedly told me about a new word he had come across while doing a Times cryptic crossword puzzle…
Language
The New York Times has coined the expression ‘dark Woke’ to describe the current strategy being used by the Democratic…
Language
In the Weekend Australian I read a review of a book about AI and its disastrous impact on undergraduate student…
Language
Everyone who has ever worked in an election campaign knows what a ‘corflute’ is. We have all seen them even…
Language
At the end of this year (as every year) the dictionaries of the world will announce their choice for ‘word…
Language
In a recent post-budget interview Treasurer Jim Chalmers claimed his tax cuts (worth about a Mars Bar a day) are…
Language
Are you a ‘pejorist’? I wouldn’t blame you if you were. I am currently reading Melanie Phillips’ brilliant book The…
Language
It’s easy to picture the situation: a politician who has been an outspoken supporter of China (insisting their government is…
Language
I am frequently asked about the expressions ‘First Nations’ / ‘First Peoples’. And Speccie reader Kay has raised it again,…
Language
Speccie reader Joseph has written to ask: What is ‘identity politics’? First, the history. The term ‘identity politics’ is recorded…
Language
A Speccie reader, Lillian, has sent me this information about a brand-new word – governmentium. ‘Scientific research has led to…
Language
When the Seven News Network asked me to explain the story behind the Aussie expression ‘no worries’ I did some…
Language
‘Palindrome’ has been part of the English language since 1636 and means (as you know) a word or phrase that…
Language
As Joe Biden rushed (sorry, stumbled) out of the doors of the White House, he flung around things called ‘pre-emptive…
